Vehicle collision repair shops typically utilize some form of apparatus for clamping and supporting damaged vehicles in a fixed position to facilitate collision repair work. Such known apparatus is clamped to the damaged vehicle body at a number of pre-selected locations to support the vehicle body while known pulling equipment is used to force the damaged vehicle body back into its original shape.
Many of the known types of vehicle clamping and support apparatus are large and cumbersome--typically occupying a complete bay in the collision repair shop. Although some "portable" vehicle clamping and support devices exist, they are relatively inconvenient to use because they permit only limited flexibility in selection of the points at which the vehicle body is clamped. This often makes it awkward to use such devices with many types of damaged vehicles. Further, such known devices frequently provide only very limited clearance with respect to the vehicle exhaust system and other obstructions, which complicates affixation of such devices to many types of damaged vehicles.
The present invention provides a simplified vehicle clamping and support apparatus which includes a number of separate clamping devices which may be independently clamped to the vehicle body at largely arbitrary points. Support members which slideably engage the clamping devices are then slid into position and secured to the clamping devices, thereby providing a rigid framework for supporting the vehicle body in the clamped position. Accordingly, the invention facilitates rapid clamping and support of a damaged vehicle.